Photos:: 94 great Thanksgiving recipes

This white bean, anchovy and caper spread is easy to whip up for guests.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

This Turkish appetizer can be made the day before and refrigerated -- perfect for Thanksgiving.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Tapanade is so versatile.  (Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Salmon rillettes, made with creme fraiche and shallots and served with baked crostini, are great starters.   (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Stuffed eggs make a great starter.   (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

A salsa of finely diced red onion, cucumber and avocado accompanies shrimp.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Grab a slice of Pissaladière with spiced ricotta, radicchio and poached apricots.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Spring rolls can start off the Thanksgiving meal.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Plaintains form the “dough” for these empanadas.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Spread green olive tapenade on crisp yeast-leavened blinis for a bite-sized appetizer.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

These calzones, made with truffle cheese, pancetta and fresh thyme, can be made ahead and reheated for a quick appetizer.  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Spiced olives are a perfect addition to any appetizer plate.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Roasted red pepper romesco brings out the delicate flavors of grilled shrimp and sweet spring onions.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times / )

Some good choices for a Thanksgiving cheese platter (from top, clockwise): Trail Head Cow’s milk Washington; Hook’s Cheddar; Rogue River Blue; Vella Dry Hack; Jasper Hills Farm Constant Bliss; Sally Jackson (white cheese with black and white skin); Grayson (yellow cheese with orange skin; and finally, Truffle Tremor (white cheese with milky white skin).  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Garnish this squash soup with fresh pomegranate seeds and candied pecans -- perfect for the holiday table.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Kale, mustard greens and collard greens are simmered, seasoned and garnished with pretty lemon slices in this unique, colorful soup.  (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

Another starter: cream of parsnip soup.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

A bowl of broccoli and roasted garlic soup is a classic autumn offering.   (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Serve spiced pumpkin soup with maple syrup inside roasted pumpkins.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Creamy mushroom soup can start the meal.  (Stephen Osman / Los Angeles Times)

Handmade breadsticks -- the kids will love them.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

These festive scones call for both fresh and crystallized ginger.   (Anacleto Rapping / Los Angeles Times)

This stuffing works with the cornbread of your choice. Store-bought works, too.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Who could resist a whole-grain mustard roll, warm from the oven? Don’t forget the butter.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Instead of bread, how about muffins?  (Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Recipe: Pecan brown-butter bread

This wheat-brown wreath of braided breads -- one seasoned with rosemary, the other spiked with pepper -- surprises and delights.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

This dish makes a tasty appetizer or a satisfying main course for vegetarians. Click here for the recipe.

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More holiday recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Brussels sprouts braised with bacon and chestnuts are a robust addition to an autumn meal.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

You’re busy enough on Thanksgiving day -- the slaw for this appetizer can be made the day before, and frying the Frico takes only a few minutes.  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

Pumpkin comes out of its shell in this salad.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Recipe: Raw turnip and rutabaga salad with watercress

A warm barley and kale salad with roasted pears.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

This wild rice salad is flavored with toasted pecans, tart Granny Smith apples and Dijon mustard.  (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

This wild rice salad is made with apple, pear, dried cranberries and toasted walnuts.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Fuyus are the small, crisp persimmons. They’re only slightly sweet, so when paired with an assertive vinaigrette, they make a refreshing salad.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Chef Christian Shaffer’s beet salad, made with golden and red Chioggia beets.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Curry brings out the sweetness in Dungeness crab.  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

This squash is a tasty, easy day-after-Thanksgiving side dish, made with sage and chile butter.   (Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

If roasting, give the cubes a turn in some good chili powder and moisten them with pumpkin seed oil first.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Green beans no longer have to be just a plain side dish -- this recipe brings the green bean into the spotlight.   (Eric Boyd / Los Angeles Times)

Savory caramelized onions have potential.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

This side dish complements a roasted turkey.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Corn and lima bean succotash is enriched with cream and bacon.  (Eric Boyd / Los Angeles Times)

A relish tray is a fresh contrast to all the richness of the Thanksgiving meal.  (Eric Boyd / Los Angeles Times)

Braising in nut oil intensifies the flavor of chanterelles and corn.  (Eric Boyd / Los Angeles Times)

Think about red cabbage as one of the side dishes of your Thanksgiving dinner.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Glazed cipollini onions with pancetta, balsamic and rosemary.   (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Serve mashed potatoes laced with sage, butter, milk and Greek yogurt.   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Chestnut-celery root puree pairs well with pork.  (Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times)

These potatoes are great along with turkey and mincemeat pie.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Chef Daniel Boulud’s spiced sweet potato pureé, and chef Michel Richard’s collard greens and green lentils  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Layers of potatoes and wild mushrooms, all bathed in cream, are slowly baked in Daniel Boulud’s gratin.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Serve sweet potato gratin this holiday.  (Eric Boyd / Los Angeles Times)

These are a must on the Thanksgiving table.  (Eric Boyd / Los Angeles Times)

You can use either the dark-skinned sweet potatoes commonly referred to as yams, or the lighter-skinned type.  (Stephen Osman / Los Angeles Times)

Pumpkin is a holiday multi-tasker.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Here’s something a bit different: chanterelle-sage bread pudding.  (Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Stuffing is an excellent canvas for creativity. Really good stuffing will be delicious even without the turkey.   (Eric Boyd / Los Angeles Times)

At many Thanksgiving tables, hearty eaters pour on a traditional gravy.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

For this pan sauce, toss in some shallots and cook until tender.  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Red cranberries, the jewels in the Thanksgiving crown.   (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

Cranberry meets citrus in cranberry-tangerine relish.   (Eric Boyd / Los Angeles Times)

This cranberry sauce is made with Port wine.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Year after year, readers like this turkey best. It’s got crisp skin, it’s firm and meaty, and still incredibly moist.   (Beatrice de Gea / Los Angeles Times)

The good news is that an old-fashioned way of cooking will transform a heritage turkey -- or in fact any bird. The method? Just roast it covered.  (Eric Boyd / Los Angeles Times)

A bed of escarole, with its bittersweet flavor, complements the turkey.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Place basic bread stuffing in the neck of the turkey.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Cooked a day ahead, turkey, wild mushroom and potatoes need only be reheated for an early meal.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Filled with fruits and spices, this English mincemeat pie is a twist on tradition.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

A creamy twist on Thanksgiving’s staple pumpkin pie -- serve pumpkin pie ice cream with a sweet pecan praline.  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

Pumpkin cheesecake.

The classic apple pie is a classic for a reason.  (Eric Boyd / Los Angeles Times)

This is kind of a pumpkin pie. And kind of a tart.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Recipe: Yankee cranberry-apple crisp

Your guests will want to know what makes this pecan pie so good. We’ll tell you: a hint of orange.  (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)

For dessert, try sweet potato pie with pecan streusel.   (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Try something different for Thanksgiving dessert: a creme caramel made with Kabocha squash.   (Beatrice de Gea / Los Angeles Times)

A thick rum orange icing tops persimmon cake, a California-inspired dessert for the fall holiday table. You can also make caramel-coated Paradise Dumplings.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Just before serving this pumpkin pie, sprinkle some sugar over it and brulee under a hot broiler until the sugar caramelizes.  (Iris Schneider / Los Angeles Times)

Raspberry jam is sandwiched between rich chocolate and hazelnut layers and drizzled with melted chocolate.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

It’s hard to beat this classic for Thanksgiving. Click here for the recipe.  (Eric Boyd / Los Angeles Times)

Chocolate mousse becomes a palette for myriad desserts in chef Craig Strong’s repertoire, including a trifle-like layering of -- believe it or not -- purchased pound cake.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Thomas Keller’s trademark dessert has a texture somewhere between dense cake and denser brownies.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

To give -- or keep for yourself.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Make plenty. These will go fast.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Pumpkin and chocolate make a unique pairing in moist cake iced with sour cream-laced ganache.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Spice up a traditional apple pie with dried cranberries and fresh ginger.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Taking dessert to a Thanksgiving dinner? Pie may be the way to go.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Pear frangipane tart showcases Bartlett pears in an orange-and-almond filling.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Cornmeal and ricotta are at the center of this rustic cake.   (Stephen Osman / Los Angeles Times)

It’s pumpkin, with a twist.  (Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times)